DEADLY NEGLECT

Fatal cases at assisted living facilities raise questions about tough family choices, limited state oversight

Like Johnson’s family, Kohl’s family sued Alpine Charlie’s. They won $500,000 in a court judgment. Like Johnson’s family, they didn’t collect.

Blaisdell is still angered by the darkness he glimpsed while caring for his sister-in-law. The owners of poorly run homes, he said, are shirking their responsibility to the elderly, and so is the agency that licenses them.

“If they were handling explosives that could kill people, there would be standards,” Blaisdell said. “If they were saving people’s money in the banking industry, there would be standards.

“What’s more important? These people are you and me. These people need to be supported, and they’re being sold short.”

April Testerman and Tricia Tongco contributed to this report. The CHCF Center for Health Reporting (centerforhealthreporting.org watchdog@utsandiego.com